- Summertime vlogging sucks!
Yeah, it's real hot.
It is real hot in my apartment.
I'm super sweaty.
Also I apologize.
I've got an AC unit like right behind the camera,
and I cannot turn it off because it is
94 degrees out.
Cool cool cool cool.
Cool cool cool cool cool cool.
(upbeat music)
Hello my name is Jackson Bird
and today we are talking about binding.
I get lots of questions all the time
about how to bind in different situations,
how to get binders, all that stuff
so I thought I would put it all into one video
and make sure that everyone is binding safely.
Also I just hit 40,000 subscribers.
Thank you all so much for that.
Welcome to everyone who is new here.
To celebrate, I thought I would do a binder giveaway.
Now I know not everyone who watches my videos
needs a binder, so when we get to 50,000
I'm gonna do a big giveaway of more general stuff
that I think everyone will be interested in,
which means you should help me get to 50,000.
Subscribe if you're not subscribed already
and tell all your friends.
I'd love to get to 50,000 by the end of the year,
or maybe like sooner.
I think we could do it sooner, maybe like by Halloween?
Let's try.
But for now, we are celebrating 40,000
and so I'm going to do a binder giveaway.
The details on how to enter for that are going to be
at the end of the video, 'cause I ain't no chump.
Also I know you could just like fast forward,
but especially if you want to enter the binder giveaway
and you need a binder,
this video is like especially for you.
So let's dive in.
First, what is binding?
Binding is anything that you do
to make your chest appear flatter,
usually with the intention to kind of be
more masculine looking if we want to put
gendered words onto bodies which I do, we do all the time
in the trans community, whatever.
It's not always for trans guys.
Nonbinary people, gender nonconforming people,
even just you know regular old cis people
might want to do it for some reason.
Well today I am mostly talking about people
somewhere on the transmasculine-ish spectrum
who want to bind for a flatter chest appearance.
There are lots of different ways that you can bind,
most of which not good for ya.
We're mostly going to be talking about the best way to bind
which is using a binder,
and a binder is a sort of compression vest
that once again flattens your chest
to give it a slightly more masculine appearance.
Now I don't actually have any binders to show you today
because I had top surgery 2 1/2 years ago
and I gave away all of my binders to people who needed them
because I am a saint.
But I'll put in some pictures here and there
as I show you the different types of binders there are,
but before we get into that let's talk
about the other types of binding that one might choose to do
and why you probably shouldn't.
So a lot of people hear about binding with an ACE bandage.
The media especially likes to romanticize the look of this.
Do not bind with an ACE bandage.
ACE bandages are meant to sort of like constrict
and keep you know an injury in place or whatever.
I don't really know what ACE bandages do exactly,
but I do know that they are not very breathable.
They constrict your body too much,
and they're not even that effective.
Before I started binding properly,
I did try using an ACE bandage a few times.
I know, I am not perfect.
None of us are.
And while there were a few moments of bliss
where I looked in the mirror
and saw my body how I thought it should look,
within the hour the ACE bandage
had just rolled down to my stomach.
Like I tried wearing it to class a few times
and I would just be sitting in class
with an ACE bandage rolling down
and things plopping out and it was not fun.
Don't recommend.
The risk of it is that you are bruising,
maybe even cracking your ribs.
You are super constricting your lungs
to the point that you could have
temporary or permanent damage on them.
There's some very serious implications
if you're not binding safely,
so I'm going to repeat this all the time in this video.
Make sure you're binding safely.
The other method of binding that some people do
that you should absolutely never do is with duct tape.
I mean, does that sound fun?
Like that does not sound or look like something
you would want on your body for hours at a time.
Now in the past couple of years an alternate to duct tape
did come into popularity.
It's called K-tape, short for kinesiology,
kinesthesiology?
It's that thing that all those kids
who played athletics in high school major in,
but K-tape, similar to an ACE bandage
you use it kind of on injuries and stuff in sports.
I don't sport, I don't know.
But you can use it to sort of put the tape
and flatten your chest like that.
Is it safe?
There seems to be a lot of debate around it.
I personally have a lot of friends who do use it,
and it seems to be all right for them.
You know you're not gonna have
the same risks of the lungs and stuff,
but you are probably going to be really damaging your skin.
Not as badly as with duct tape,
but maybe still pretty badly
and skin elasticity is a thing
that you really want to keep in mind
when you are binding,
because the less elastic that your skin is,
the worst results that you're gonna have for top surgery
and in fact it might make you ineligible for certain types
or all types of top surgery.
Now I did hear just this past weekend
when I was at the Philly Trans Wellness Conference
that there is a new company out there called TransTape
that's basically making K-tape that's wider, it's thicker.
K-tape right now is like this thin,
so sometimes you might have to use a couple of strips of it
so the TransTape is bigger.
Maybe they're also manufacturing it in a way
that's slightly better for the sensitive skin on your chest.
Honestly I'm still pretty skeptical
about the whole taping thing, and important note,
the taping thing only works if you have a smaller chest.
So those are all the methods
that I very strongly do not recommend you do.
Well maybe K-tape you consider,
but the others do not use duct tape,
do not use ACE bandages.
Also do not use multiple sports bras on top of each other.
That's gonna be like the same effect of the ACE bandage.
That is just way too much constricting on your body.
Really, the safest option because binding is you know,
at the end of the day it's not that safe or healthy for you,
but the safest option is going to be
an official binder from a legitimate company.
Now I say legitimate company
because there are some smaller companies out there
that are gonna sell really cheap binders
you can find on like eBay and Amazon.
I did try one once.
Again I am not perfect.
Early on in my transition I bought one of those,
and it just wasn't that effective.
Maybe if you have a very very tiny chest
it might do something.
And I've heard some rumors
that maybe they're not as safe as well,
so I would just stay away from those.
Really stick to the legitimate verified companies.
I'm talking Underworks, GC2B and FLAVNT.
Those are the big ones at least in the US.
And those companies all have a variety of different binders
that you can choose from.
In general there are longer and shorter binders.
So the shorter ones are gonna stop
right about at the end of your ribcage
and those are really good, especially in hotter seasons.
Maybe if you have a smaller chest,
and in general just for being a little bit
more breathable and flexible.
The longer ones are gonna go all the way down past your hips
and that can be good if you also
want to compress a bit of your hips or back fat,
but I found that to be very annoying
to have that much compressing material on me all the time.
Most binders are a pullover kind of thing,
but you will find some out there
that are more like a proper vest
where they Velcro or zip
or maybe have some type of clasps on them.
I never really like those 'cause the zipper or the Velcro
just got in the way.
I prefer the pullover kind, but your mileage may vary.
For a long time binders pretty much only came
in white and black, but now companies like GC2B and FLAVNT
are expanding to have a whole spectrum of skin tones
which is very cool, because there are
pros and cons to the different colors.
When I was starting to bind, a lot of people told me
that a white binder was better than a black binder
because it wouldn't show up as much
through light colored, thin T-shirts
but I found that you could still see the white binder
under light colored thin T-shirts
just as much as the black binders,
so I switched over to the black binder
because I'm goth.
The white binders get real gross real quick.
They do not stay white for long,
so that was a little gross to look at.
The black one was just as filthy,
but at least you couldn't see it.
FLAVNT Streetwear also offers those nude skin tone colors
in a swimsuit version, and the thinking there
is that people who are comfortable can just wear
the swim binder and their swim bottoms
and kind of feel like they're shirtless at the beach,
if that's a thing that they're into.
I probably wouldn't have ever been comfortable doing that,
but I have some friends who have done
and they totally rocked it.
And even if you are wearing like a tank top
or a swim shirt on top of that,
this is finally a binder that is actually safe to swim in
because you should not be swimming in your binders.
While I've been saying that official binders
are the safest way you can bind, there are still
a lot of caveats that come with that.
Two big ones are swimming and exercising.
Now I know those are times when you're like
most gonna want to be binding
'cause you might be wearing clingy, sweaty, wet material
or you're in these hyper gendered places
where you maybe really want to be read as male or whatever,
but because you're being active
or you are getting wet when you're swimming
it's actually the worst places to bind,
and I know I can't just tell you don't bind.
That would be the safest option,
and maybe if you have a smaller chest
you can get away with that with wearing a sports bra
that will flatten your chest enough,
but more than likely you're still gonna try to
find some way to bind,
so for swimming I definitely recommend if you can get one,
one of FLAVNT's swim binders.
I think some other companies
might have swim binders as well.
The reason you don't want to use a normal binder
for swimming is that when it gets wet and then dries
like salt water, chlorine,
that can all really break down the fibers.
It starts bringing down the elasticity
and sometimes that can make it tighter
and constrict in ways that then
is extra bad for your breathing.
It's just really bad for the binder,
and anything bad for the binder
ends up being bad for your health.
And also when it gets wet while you're swimming
it gets tighter then, so then it's sucking in
on your body even more
and then you're gonna have trouble breathing.
And the reason you don't want to wear a binder
when you're exercising, especially things
like high cardio things
or high interval intensity training stuff
is because you can't breathe as much.
It's compressing your lungs,
so ideally you should not be wearing a binder.
Some things that people do is wear older binders
that have stretched out a little bit.
I am telling you that, but I am not recommending it.
Again, safest thing is to find some non-binder alternative.
It's really hard to just tell someone don't bind,
so I'm just gonna leave that there.
But all right, so you're educated now
on the different types of binders.
You are ready to go find a binder.
You've picked out the company you want to buy it from,
but oh my gosh the sizing.
They're asking you for your measurements
and you don't really measure that part of your body
'cause maybe you've been dysphoric for a while
so you haven't really bought something
where you'd need to measure it.
Fortunately all of those companies
do have guides to tell you exactly how to measure
to find your size on their site.
If you don't have a tape measure at your house,
cool life hack is get something like a shoelace
or just a piece of string and wrap that around
wherever you're supposed to for the different measurements
and then kind of hold it,
and then lay that down against a ruler.
And if you don't have a ruler,
most smartphones have ruler apps.
I'm really trying to take out any excuse
that you could have here,
because I remember when I was at the depths of dysphoria
it was like I would find any excuse
not to move forward with things that were ultimately
gonna make me happier and healthier.
So no excuses here.
And when you have found your size,
do not buy a size smaller
because you think that'll bind even better.
The binders are doing enough on their own,
and if you get a size smaller,
you probably won't even be able to get it on your body
'cause next thing is when you get the binder,
the first couple of times you put it on,
especially that first time it is going to be
super super hard to actually get it on.
It'll stretch out as you go.
You know after maybe three to five times of wearing it,
it'll be a little bit better
but that first time, I mean you're just gonna,
like you'll get it stuck somewhere.
If you are out to anyone else
and can maybe have a buddy around just to either help you
or stand outside the door and be like you okay?
And it's gonna be just as hard to take off
the first couple of times.
A good tip is to maybe step into it,
roll it all the way up your body
instead of trying to put it over,
and then once it's stretched out a bit
then you can just start putting it on normally.
Also it is very important that
for the first several days you're wearing it,
especially if it's your first binder ever,
only wear it for like an hour or two each day.
You really need to ease into it.
Your body is not used to binding if it's your first time,
but also the binder is brand new
and it needs to stretch out a little bit.
And once you have stretched it out,
never wear it for more than eight hours in a day.
That should be enough to get you through school or work.
If you have a longer day, I would recommend
maybe at some point try to go into a bathroom
and take it off for a little bit just to breathe,
but eight hours is really the maximum
that you want to be wearing it.
When you wear your binder too much,
you are risking some of those same things
that you're risking when you bind incorrectly.
So that is things like damaging your ribs,
damaging your lungs, decreasing that skin elasticity.
It's tough, I know.
Everything about being trans is just like balancing things,
but moving on.
So you have a new binder.
You've been wearing it for a couple of days.
All is going well, but you kind of noticed
you're starting to stink.
It's time to wash your binder.
You don't really want to use a washer and dryer.
The machine washing will start to sort of
break down again the elasticity
and just structure of the binder.
A dryer might shrink it, which is really bad.
You don't want that to happen.
So the best thing that you can do
is just put a little bit of detergent into your sink,
fill up your sink, and let the binder sit in there
for I don't know, half hour, hour,
and then air dry it.
I know if you have roommates or maybe you live
with your family and they don't know that you're binding,
that might be hard to just leave a binder
in the middle of the bathroom all day.
So something that you can do is actually
just wash it in the shower with you.
Not like while you're wearing it,
just as you're showering bring in your binder.
Do a little bit of laundry while you shower.
Where you might hang it up to dry
inconspicuously I'm not really sure.
You'll have to figure that one out on your own.
Closet?
I don't know.
In an ideal world you'd probably be washing it every day,
every other day, but at least do like once a week.
You know, it's right on your chest and your back
and you're super sweaty
and it's one of the grossest
articles of clothing you're gonna be wearing
and you're gonna probably wear it every day.
Oh and on that note about it being sweaty,
it is so hard to get off when you are sweaty
or if you've been swimming with a proper swim binder
and it's wet, it's like oh my gosh it is so hard to get off
so just know that,
and some of the things that you can maybe do
is put some baby powder on.
Just to prevent a little bit of the sweating.
Now another thing I get asked about
with binders is how do you explain
that you're wearing a binder, that your chest is flatter,
or how do you hide it?
So if you are not out as trans or nonbinary
or what have you yet, and people notice
your chest is flatter, what do you do then?
It depends on what your chest might have looked like
before I guess, and what your relationship
with these people is.
I pretty much just said I lost some weight just there,
and I prefer sports bras now.
I don't think too many people bought that completely.
That was the best I had.
Maybe it's gonna be a good opportunity
to be open with some people about the fact
that you're kind of playing
and exploring with your gender expression.
Now if you are stealth and don't want people
to see your binder because you just want them
to think that you have a naturally flat chest,
the biggest things that you can do are layer clothing.
Button ups are really good whether it's as layered
over a T-shirt or something or just by themself.
Anything that's a little bit looser like that
is gonna hide some of the binder seams
and just overall make you look flatter.
Now the last thing that people always wonder
is how can I get a binder if my family
doesn't approve of me having a binder
or if I can't afford it?
So if your family doesn't approve
and you need to get a binder on the sly,
and let's say that you don't have your own
debit or credit card or maybe your parents
have access to your bank statements
so they could see what you're buying,
go to a grocery store or something like that
and get one of those Visa gift cards.
So you can pay cash for that Visa gift card,
and it comes with a number on it
so you can use it for online purchases
just like a credit card.
So get you one of those,
and then use that to order your binder.
Most of these companies do deliver in discreet packaging,
but if you're still you know thinking
that your parents might open it or something,
ask a friend or any trusted individual
if you can have the binder delivered to them instead.
Now if you simply can't afford it,
there are a lot of binder scholarship programs
and binder giveaway programs like this one!
I am giving away one free binder to someone in need,
so please only apply to this giveaway
if you really need a binder.
If you can pay for a binder yourself,
or if you are not someone who needs a binder,
please share this giveaway
with anyone that you think might need one.
Share it on your social media.
I want to make sure that someone who really needs it
has a chance at getting this binder.
I'm going to randomly select one person who applies.
The only requirement is that
you're subscribed to this YouTube channel.
So all you gotta do is fill out the Google form
that I'm putting in the description box.
You're gonna have two weeks from the day
that this video goes up to enter the giveaway.
One entry per person, can only be one winner,
must be subscribed to this channel.
International I think is fine,
and if you end up not winning this giveaway
I'm gonna put some links to some other people
who run regular binder giveaways
and binder scholarship programs
and stuff like that in the description box.
In the comments today I want to hear
any of your binder tips and tricks that you have,
because I probably left some things out.
I probably misspoke like I am really hot right now.
I don't think I even remember anything I said in this video.
I feel like I blacked out for part of it from the heat.
I'm just gonna end this now,
go drink some water and stay hydrated.
Oh that's another good binder tip.
Always stay hydrated, and be breathing.
Take some big breaths.
(breathes deeply)
And I hope this video helped.
If you liked it, please do subscribe
for new videos every Wednesday-ish.
Maybe we'll hit 50,000 by Halloween
and do another big giveaway.
Also you can follow me everywhere else
on the internet @jackisnotabird.
Thank you all so much for watching,
and I'll see you next time.
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